By Xinhua
Seoul : The 22 South Korean hostages in Afghanistan are safe and the South Korean government is in contact with the kidnappers, a spokesman for the foreign ministry said Friday.
The government is doing its utmost to seek the safe release of the kidnapped South Koreans and is working in close cooperation with the Afghan government, international community and the United Nations, the spokesman said at a briefing with foreign correspondents here.
He stressed that the kidnapped South Koreans were medical volunteers in Afghanistan.
A special envoy of South Korean president left for Afghanistan Thursday under an agreement between the presidents of South Korea and Afghanistan, the spokesman added.
Negotiations for the release of the hostages were going on Friday afternoon and no one was killed after the deadline expired at 07.30 a.m. local time Friday, a local Taliban commander in Ghazni province said.